Background Lore

Pre-eminent merchants and traders, the people of Korneth have managed to strike one deal after another until they have become the wealthiest nation in the world. The engine of prosperity runs strongest in this land, and half the industry of Terranis likely would not exist were it not for Korneth facilitating easy access for all (and taking their cut from the proceedings, of course).

Originally a series of loosely aligned cities in southern Orius, Korneth did not truly begin to form until the fourth century, when a massive underground storage facility was discovered beneath the city of Einheit. The town may have originally been built as a living space for those Solar Alliance personnel stationed at the facility, but this knowledge had disappeared generations ago. When the facility was discovered during a construction project, teams of explorers quickly mapped it out, discovering numerous vast chambers filled to the brim with crates of pre-Fall goods and technology. Medicine, construction goods, consumer goods, fuels, advanced materials unseen since the days of the Solar Alliance, even weapons and armor that defied description, and more were found, often in vast quantities. Numerous examples of technology still in use today, such as nano-forges, long-range communication gear, datapads, and more, were found and removed.

Within a year, Einheit and the nearby cities were reaping a fortune by selling the goods discovered to the other nations of Terranis. Realizing that jealousy might drive the other nations to attack them, Einheit and the other cities formalized mutual defense pacts. Eventually, they began to hold elections for a grand baron to lead them in their decisions every few years, and first wahl (election) that was held is typically seen as the formal birth of Korneth as a nation. Though Korneth was indeed ultimately invaded several times, these attacks were all repelled, especially after Korneth would offer large rewards of money or more pre-Fall resources to other nations (or mercenaries) for their assistance.

Although vast portions of the material stored beneath Einheit has been removed and sent elsewhere, considerable stores yet remain, even centuries later, ensuring Korneth will maintain a steady income for the foreseeable future. Even so, it also draws a strong trade through its mining and logging efforts, providing raw resources to other nations in addition to its advanced goods.

Even today, examples of goods found beneath Einheit, especially consumable goods, are in wide use, particularly among adventuring types. Biomedical gels, single-use defibrillators, metabolic boosters, chronometers, and more are still standard gear in most circles.

Korneth is a strong advocate and supporter of the Terranis Union, seeing the increased trade a more unified Terranis brings about as a good thing for all. Its military is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the best well-equipped in the world, although perhaps the least unified, as there is no central command structure, rather troops are committed by the various baronies and work together under a single chosen commander, much like the political structure (the barons elect one of their own to be the Grand Baron for several years).

Socially, the Kornethi are a practical and pragmatic people. Goals to work towards are an important consideration, and time wasted is generally looked down upon. Whether fishing, mining, trading, logging, etc., jobs with a practical benefit to them are often favored, although the art scene in Korneth still sees considerable patronage as well.

In southern Korneth, the Dunkelwald is a massive forest that has always been home to dark legends and monsters, and has largely remained unexplored. It is known that a number of druid clans reside under its trees, but contact with them is rare. Villages near the forest, although vital for their logging efforts, are often heavily guarded and residents live in constant unease over the potential of a monster attack from the forest. Despite numerous campaigns over the centuries to reduce the monster presence in the Dunkelwald, attacks are still reported every year.

At the furthest end of the forest, along a wide pass that serves as the only gap in the Bloodfall Mountains, the massive Westbarriere has been erected, and stands as a bastion against any possible incursion into Korneth from the Bloodlands. Although supply caravans must pass through the Dunkelwald to reach the fortress, they and their destination are perhaps some of the most heavily fortified locations in the world. Assignment to the fortress is seen as both a necessity and a punishment for most who go there.

Perhaps to no one’s surprise, numerous adventurers in search of fortune or lost legends will pass through the fortress into the Bloodlands beyond. Many never return, but some of those who do bring back treasures and artifacts that only further fuel the reputation of the Bloodlands as a place to find glory. Those humans who live beyond the mountains certainly hold no respect for the law of anyone but their own, and tend to look poorly upon trespassers.

In recent decades, the natural defense of the Bloodfall Mountains appears to have been diminished or overcome somehow. Much of the northern parts of the mountains are still irradiated from the destroyed Great Enemy ship that crashed among them during the Fall, while the southern parts saw decades of work put into making them impassable without the capacity for flight. Despite this, barbarian raids from across the mountains have increased dramatically. How they were able to cross has not yet been discovered, but at the rate of their increase, Korneth may be facing a full-fledged invasion before long.